The new transport system of TIB CTM, presented last July, has reorganized its routes and completely renewed its fleet with 223 new vehicles, the vast majority of which, 186 units, are natural gas-powered and bodyworked by Castrosua on Scania chassis.
TIB is a registered trademark of CTM (Consortium of Transport of Mallorca), which brings together all interurban public transport services in the Balearic Islands. This reorganization of transport in Mallorca has been carried out by reducing the number of operators to only 3, one of them being Grupo Ruiz, which was the first to put vehicles into operation on the island.
Grupo Ruiz has acquired a total of 64 vehicles from Grupo Castrosua, all of them natural gas-powered and built on Scania chassis. Of the total number of vehicles, 14 are urban New City bodyworks, 8 of them 18 meters long and the other 6 measuring 12 meters, and all units feature 3 doors and a low-floor design to facilitate passenger boarding and alighting.
The remaining 50 vehicles feature Magnus.E bodywork intended for medium-distance services. Among the Magnus.E vehicles, there are 19 Low Entry units, 11 vehicles measuring 13 meters in length, 4 measuring 15 meters, and another 4 articulated 18-meter units. The remaining 31 units are high-floor models, 13 measuring 15 meters and the other 18 measuring 13 meters. All high-floor Magnus.E units are equipped with luggage racks featuring individual light and air outlets.
The buses include one of the most cutting-edge safety and energy-saving packages available, integrating up to 15 different systems such as lane departure warning, emergency braking, fatigue detector, and alcoholock, which only allows the bus to start if the driver is below the legal alcohol limit; a defibrillator inside the bus; and an antibacterial system that sanitizes the air inside the cabin, among others. In addition, they integrate an innovative ticketing and fare system.
The vehicles incorporate improvements and state-of-the-art technologies, including the Mobileye accident prevention system with intelligent cameras and vision sensors; up to four interior passenger information monitors and up to five security cameras with video recording; vandal-proof safety partition; 16 USB ports; WiFi; and a system for transporting two bicycles inside the bus, as well as a Dafo automatic fire extinguishing system.
Likewise, all buses are adapted for people with reduced mobility —through ramps or lifting platforms— and the low-floor or low-entry units additionally feature a double electric and manual ramp to further facilitate and guarantee access for wheelchairs and baby strollers. Interior signage will also be reinforced with screens and public address systems so that passengers with visual or hearing impairments can know at all times the next stop on the route, as well as other relevant service information.
GRUPO RUIZ, which includes Empresa Ruiz, Empresa Martín, Salamanca de Transportes, Unauto de Toledo, Transportes de Murcia and Alcalá Bus, among others, manages numerous urban and interurban transport concessions; provides corporate, school and tourist transport services; manages hospitality and catering activities, parking facilities, car rental services without drivers, street and property cleaning services, and workshops for repairing industrial and passenger vehicles.
GRUPO RUIZ is currently one of the leading road passenger transport groups in Spain and one of the most prominent and internationally projected. Grupo Ruiz has trusted Grupo Castrosua since the late 1980s, for which we are very grateful.
